lessons learned: the early adoption of electric vehicle charging

Lessons Learned:The Early Adoption of Electric Vehicle Charging

Stations from the Perspective of Oahu’sCommercial Properties

October 2012

Table of ContentsExecutive Summary ............................................................................................................... 4

1.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 61.1 Background to the Project.........................................................................................................61.1.1 Electric Vehicles (EVs) .................................................................................................................. 61.1.2 Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) ................................................................................... 71.1.3 Additional Terminology................................................................................................................ 81.1.4 Hawaii’s EV Ready Program ......................................................................................................... 81.1.5 Hawaii State Electric Vehicle (EV) Parking Requirement ............................................................. 9

1.2 Project Overview ....................................................................................................................101.2.1 Honolulu Clean Cities' Role ........................................................................................................10

1.3 Methodology..........................................................................................................................10

2.0 Findings ......................................................................................................................... 112.1 Planning .................................................................................................................................122.2 Permitting ..............................................................................................................................132.3 Installation .............................................................................................................................142.4 Costs and Payment .................................................................................................................152.5 Managing the Charging Station ...............................................................................................172.6 Business Aspects.....................................................................................................................18

3.0 Conclusion and Next Steps Gained from the Lessons Learned......................................... 183.1 Conclusion..............................................................................................................................183.2 Next Steps ..............................................................................................................................19

Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 20

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This report was funded by the United States Department of Energy through the Clean Cities Community Readiness and Planning for Plug-‐In Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure DE-‐FOA-‐0000451, under the Office of Vehicle Technologies Clean Cities Program

Recipient: University of Hawaii Maui College Sub-‐recipient: Honolulu Clean Cities Principal Investigator: Margaret Larson, Honolulu Clean Cities

For questions or comments regarding this report, please contact: [email protected]

DISCLAIMER: This report was designed to help people understand the opportunities and barriers that have been expressed by a small segment of electric vehicle infrastructure commercial properties. This is not a legal document. The report is a compilation of questionnaires and interviews held during the period of February 2012 through June 2012; due in part to the limited time frame, the scope of this report is limited to Oahu commercial properties. Honolulu Clean Cities does not claim to understand or report all opportunities and barriers of the electric vehicle market or electric vehicle charger installations. This report remains the property of Honolulu Clean Cities for use by the University of Hawaii Maui College Department of Energy Implementation Plan, any effort to use this report as a factual or all-‐inclusive report is not permitted. Honolulu Clean Cities assumes no responsibility for any errors, omissions, or damages arising from the reliance on information, material, or advice retrieved from this report.

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mailto:[email protected]

Executive Summary

This report focuses on some of the changes being made in Hawaii’s transportation sector,specifically in the transition towards the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). The shift fromgasoline-‐powered vehicles to electric-‐drive vehicles is still in its early stages, and cannotsucceed without the necessary charging infrastructure to power EVs. In order for car-‐buyers tofeel confident in purchasing an EV, charging infrastructure must be in place in order to minimizean EV driver’s “range anxiety”—the fear of being stranded with a dead battery and nowhere torecharge. Therefore, the adoption of public charging locations plays a vital role in limiting EVdrivers’ range anxiety, and transitioning toward an electrified transportation system. Theislands of Hawaii have limited driving ranges, and consequently EV drivers’ range anxiety isnaturally limited. This fact, combined with the fact that the State of Hawaii is 90% dependenton imported fossil fuels, has provided the impetus for Hawaii to become a test bed for theadoption of EVs and chargers. The Hawaii State Legislature has been in support of EVs since1997 and beginning in 2009 the Hawaii State Energy Office implemented Hawaii EV Readyprogram that incentivized and supported the expansion of EVs and EV chargers throughoutHawaii (see Section 1.1.3 and 1.1.4 for more information on these policies). This reportidentifies the lessons learned from early adopter commercial properties that installed EVcharging stations on the island of Oahu—Hawaii’s commercial center which has experiencedthe greatest growth in EV drivers and chargers as compared to its neighbor islands. Thisresearch reflects the installation of over 76 charging stations among 22 different properties,which is estimated to make up 59% of the total properties that have installed chargers on Oahuas of January 2012 (see Section 1.3 for information on the research methodology, and Section2.0 for a report of research participants).

The major findings reported by Oahu’s early adopter commercial properties that installedpublically available EV charging stations are listed below, and explained further in Section 2.

1) Properties benefitted from researching chargers and utilizing industry professionalsand property associations.

Early adopters that installed charging stations found it beneficial to learn about the EV industryand gain a higher level of understanding regarding the technology before installing chargingstations. Many participants attended renewable energy and EV conferences to ask questions tocharging station companies and EV professionals. The adoption of EV charging stations was alsoa topic of discussion at association and board meetings, which allowed participants to discussprocesses and challenges within their industry network.

2) Properties benefitted from identifying charging stations that best fit their needs.All properties that installed charging stations found it important to research the variety ofcharging station business models to identify the model, which meets the needs of their specificproperty. Overall, five different models of managing a charging station have been adoptedamong participants, as described in Section 2.5.

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3) The installation of EV chargers is a simple process.The majority of participating properties found the charger installation process to be straightforward and simple. They ran into very minor difficulties, if any at all, and had a positiveexperience with the charging companies that they had worked with.

4) EV charging companies are also selling a service.The charging station companies that have a presence in Hawaii have created relationships withcommercial properties, also known as site hosts, and are available to offer assistance. Thecharging station companies offered support and expertise to commercial properties throughoutthe stages of becoming EV ready including the charger purchase and installation. Even afterinstallation, the companies remain available for assistance with routine checks and anytechnical issues that may occur with the charging equipment.

5) For properties, incentives are helpful, but compliance is key.The Hawaii EV Ready Grant and Rebate Program (described in detail in Section 1.1.3) helped toalleviate capital costs for the purchase and installations of EV chargers at commercialproperties. However, had these incentives not been available early adopter properties reportedthat they would have still installed EV charging systems to be in compliance with the HawaiiState EV parking regulation (described in Section 1.1.4).

6) Without widespread standards for how to install and manage EV chargers, propertiesare defining their own best practices and early adoption trends are slowly emerging.

Because the EV market is so nascent, there is no one single way of installing and managing acharging station. This study identified common trends among the early adopters that werepolled, which are highlighted below:

The two major installation concerns include construction and electrical load. The goodnews is that 21 of 22 (95%) properties reported that they only had to complete electricalrouting and 19 of the 22 (86%) properties had enough building electrical capacity anddid not have make upgrades.Eighty-‐eight percent of properties reported that following installation of the chargingstation, the maintenance, operation, and management has not been difficult. Seventeenout of 22 (77%) of properties reported charging station companies had been managingthe charging stations.Seventeen of 22 (77%) properties polled are not requiring EV drivers to pay for the useof the charging station and are treating the charging station as a property amenity orare offsetting the charge costs through advertisement supported EV charger businessmodels. This trend may be strictly among early adopters, since those polled alsoexpressed that they plan to eventually charge for the use of the EV charging stationsonce there is a noticeable increase in demand.

The research and findings in this report are important for the success of the deployment of EVsin Hawaii, and even nationally, because they offer insight into the challenges and opportunitiesfaced by early adopter commercial properties that are installing charging stations.

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1.0 Introduction

The State of Hawaii is 90% dependent on imported fossil fuel which provides the impetus forHawaii to become a test bed for the adoption of EVs and chargers. Shifting from fossil fuel toelectric power is a new concept for many drivers and thus EV education is still needed acrossHawaii.

The State of Hawaii, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), formed theHawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), which sets an aggressive goal to reach 70% clean energyby 2030. The adoption of EVs is needed to reach HCEI’s transportation goal of reducingpetroleum use for ground transportation by 70%.

Honolulu Clean Cities (HCC) supports HCEI and is dedicated to reducing petroleum consumptionin transportation. This report discusses HCC’s findings from research conducted targeting earlyadopters of EV charging stations.

1.1 Background to the Project

This section defines the commonly used terminology related to EVs and charging stations (alsoknown as Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) in order to identify a working vocabularythat will be used throughout the report. This section will also discuss programs that wereimplemented in the State of Hawaii to expedite the adoption of EVs and charging infrastructureacross all Hawaiian Islands. This section is not intended to provide all background informationregarding EVs and charging stations.

1.1.1 Electric Vehicles (EVs)

This report focuses on the charging equipment and infrastructure necessary to charge a Plug-‐InElectric Vehicle (PEV). Being an EV infrastructure-‐focused report, the type of EV that is beingplugged into the installed charging equipment is not of concern. EVs come in two types, All-‐Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and Plug-‐In Hybrid Vehicles (PHEVs), the chart below displaysaspects of these two types of EVs.

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1.1.2 Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE)

This report uses the terms “Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE),” “charging station,” and“charging systems” interchangeably. California Article 625 defines EVSE as:

“The conductors, including the undergrounded, grounded, and equipment groundingconductors, the electric vehicle connectors, attachment plugs, and all other fittings,devices, power outlets or apparatuses installed specifically for the purpose of deliveringenergy from the premises’ wiring to the electric vehicle.”2

In charging stations, EVSEs are used to deliver a safe flow of electricity from an electrical sourceto a PEV. There are currently three levels of chargers that can be installed at homes,workplaces, or public stations. The three levels include:

1. Level 1 – The Level 1 charges through a 120-‐volt outlet, such as standard householdoutlet, and adds about 2 to 5 miles of range to an EV per hour of charging time.

2. Level 2– The Level 2 charges through a 240-‐volt electrical service and uses the sametype of plug as the Level 1 charger. The Level 2 charger is becoming a preferredinstallation choice of PEV drivers because it can add 10 to 20 miles of range to an EV forevery hour of charge time, which means a completely depleted battery can be restoredto full power through an overnight charge.

1 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). (2012 April). Plug-‐In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Public ChargingStation Hosts. Retrieved from http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/pdfs/51227.pdf.2 Kateley, S., & Rawson, M. (1998 August 31). Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment and Design and Health andSafety Codes. Retrieved from http://www.energy.ca.gov/papers/98-‐09-‐23_KATELEY.PDF.

Table 1. Overview of the Two Types of Plug-‐In Electric Vehicles (PEVs)1

All-‐Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) Plug-‐In Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV)

Quick FactsElectric powered motor onlyPlug into any electrical power outlet tocharge battery

Electric powered motor AND internalcombustion engine (ICE)Can run completely on electric motoruntil battery is depleted, then run as anICE

Benefits No tailpipe emissions

Less tailpipe emissions thanconventional vehicleShorter charge time because electricbattery is smaller than EVs

Range 100 miles on a fully charged battery 25 to 50 miles using only the electricmotor

Examples of modelsavailable in Hawaii

Nissan LeafMitsubishi i-‐MiEV

Chevy VoltToyota Plug In Prius

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3. Direct Current (DC) fast-‐charging equipment: This charger uses a 480-‐volt input thatallows for rapid charging and can add 60 to 80 miles of range to a BEV battery in 20minutes. DC fast-‐chargers are ideal for high traffic areas and public charging stations.3

Some EVSE charging station companies with a presence in Hawaii include AeroVironment,Better Place, Coulomb Technologies, Schneider Electric, Volta Industries, and Voltec SPX. Thetable below provides images of select chargers found in Hawaii during the research for thisreport.

Table 2. Examples of EVSE Found in Hawaii

AeroVironment Better Place Schneider Electric Volta Industries Voltec SPX

1.1.3 Additional Terminology

The following terms are used interchangeably to explain the different players that took part inthis research:

“Participating properties,” “properties,” “early adopters,” “interviewees” all define thecommercial properties that took part in this research“Charging companies,” and “EVSE companies,” both define companies that sell the EVSEand associated services (See Table 2 for examples).

1.1.4 Hawaii’s EV Ready Program

In an effort to make Hawaii less dependent on liquid petroleum fuels, the Hawaii StateDepartment of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) developed theTransportation Energy Diversification Project in 2009 to accelerate the adoption of EVs andcharging equipment across the State. The project comprised of the Hawaii EV Ready Rebate

3 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). (2012 April). Plug-‐In Electric Vehicle Handbook for Public ChargingStation Hosts. Retrieved from http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/pdfs/51227.pdf.

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Program and Hawaii EV Ready Grant Program, and offered funding to Hawaii residents andbusinesses for the purchase of EVs and chargers.4

Hawaii’s EV Rebate Program was available to Hawaii residents, businesses, governmentagencies, and nonprofit entities following the purchase of new EVs for use in Hawaii and for thepurchase and installation of charging equipment in Hawaii. The rebates offered up to 20% ofthe purchase price of an EV with a maximum of $4,500 per vehicle and up to 30% of the cost ofa charging equipment and installation with a maximum of $500 per system. EVs and chargerspurchased on or after August 1, 2010 were eligible for this program and as of May 3, 2012 allavailable rebate funds had been exhausted.5

The Hawaii EV Ready Grant Program began in March 2011 when the Hawaii State Energy Officeawarded grants to six organizations. The grants were awarded to Better Place, AeroVironment,GreenCar Hawai’i, County of Kauai, City and County of Honolulu, and Plug In America. Theseorganizations were selected to speed up EV market acceptance across Hawaii with projectsincluding charging station installations, outreach and education, data collection, and thepurchase of EVs. Grant awardees Better Place and AeroVironment were selected to install EVchargers across Hawaii.

1.1.5 Hawaii State Electric Vehicle (EV) Parking Requirement

To encourage greater adoption of EVs and clean energy, the State of Hawaii gave commercialproperties a push to install EV chargers in their parking facilities. In 2009, the Hawaii StateLegislature passed Act 156, the “Hawaii State Plug-‐in Electric Vehicle (EV) ParkingRequirement.” The law states:

“All public, private, and government parking facilities that are available for use by thegeneral public and that include at least one hundred parking spaces must designate atleast 1% of the spaces specifically for EVs by December 31, 2011…The spaces designatedfor EVs will continue to increase by 1% for each additional 5,000 registered EVs until thepercentage reaches 10%.” 6

This law was revised in 2012 to Act 089 or SB 2747 to require that:

4 State of Hawaii, Department of Business, Economic Development, & Tourism. (2012 March). Hawaii State EnergyOffice EV Ready Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://energy.hawaii.gov/wp-‐content/uploads/2011/09/DBEDT-‐EV-‐Fact-‐Sheet-‐MAR-‐2012_final.pdf.5 Hawaii State Energy Office, Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (n.d.). Hawaii’s ElectricVehicle (EV) Ready Program. Retrieved from http://energy.hawaii.gov/programs/transportation-‐on-‐the-‐move/ev-‐ready-‐program.6 Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center. (2011 June 15). Hawaii Incentives and Laws for EVs. Retrievedfrom http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/laws/laws/HI/tech/3270.

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“Places of public accommodation with at least 100 parking spaces available for use bythe general public designate at least one space for the exclusive use of EVs, and beequipped with an EV charging system by July 1, 2012.”7

1.2 Project Overview

This report is one of many efforts being conducted under the Department of Energy “CleanCities Community Readiness and Planning for Plug-‐In Electric Vehicles and ChargingInfrastructure” grant that was awarded to the University of Hawaii Maui College (UHMC) inSeptember 2011. UHMC has partnered with a number of organizations to create the MauiElectric Vehicle Alliance (EVA), which also includes the Hawaii State Energy Office, HCC, and theUniversity of California San Diego.

The Maui EVA team is using grant resources to identify Maui’s EV deployment planning needsincluding but not limited to; charging station equipment and infrastructure, EV policy, EVoutreach and education, energy grid system analysis, and synergies with the visitor industry,local residents and businesses.

The primary goal of the grant project is to develop an EV Implementation Plan for the island ofMaui. The plan is Maui’s initial step towards their goal of electrifying Maui’s transportationsector along with shifting to the use of renewable energy sources. The plan is intended toprovide a model that can be adapted for broader application across the State of Hawaii andother regions of the United States.

1.2.1 Honolulu Clean Cities' Role

As a sub-‐recipient of the aforementioned DOE grant, HCC conducted research, evaluated data,and documented lessons learned from early adopters of commercial EV charging stations. Thisreport reflects HCC’s findings from these efforts. The project aimed to identify opportunities,gaps, and needs affecting EV implementation across Hawaii in efforts to resolve challenges andbarriers associated with EV charger installations at commercial properties. This reportdocuments accomplishments, steps, and lessons learned from businesses that have installedcharging equipment, and may be used to advise Hawaii’s EV planning and improvement efforts.

This report is incorporated into Maui EVA’s final implementation plan. With this information,Hawaii’s EV stakeholders can work to remove barriers to adoption of EV chargers that businessindustries and commercial property managers have faced.

1.3 Methodology

The HCC team supporting this research project used input from EV and EVSE experts in Hawaiito define the optimal way to engage commercial properties in this research project. HCC wasable to leverage input from Hawaii’s transportation specialists including HCC’s board members,

7 Ibid.

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colleagues at the Hawaii State Energy Office, and transportation experts at the NationalRenewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). This team defined both the methodology for collectingresearch, as well as the content of the research materials. The final methodology used toconduct the research for this report included three major stages with each company: the pitch,questionnaire, and interview.

The initial correspondence with potential research participants was intended to attract earlyadopter participants to engage in the research project. This outreach stage explained theproject’s purpose, process, and disclaimers related to engaging in the research. Participantoutreach was a crucial first-‐step towards identifying the organization’s EV point of contact andobtaining their agreement to participate. Initial correspondence was conducted through in-‐person meetings, email, and phone calls with contacts provided through a wide range ofstakeholders such as the Hawaii State Energy EV Specialist and EV Ready grant-‐awardedcompanies.

After pitching and introducing the research project, the research participants were given a HCCdeveloped “Lessons Learned from Oahu Commercial EV Charger Installations” questionnaire.This questionnaire included non-‐scientific questions to gain the participants’ initial perspectiveon their specific EV charger installation. The online questionnaire featured a “forwarding”option allowing the participant to forward the questionnaire to others within the sameorganization in efforts to gain a holistic understanding of the EV charging station installationprocess. The questionnaire covered five core areas including; planning & permitting,installation, cost & payment, managing the charging station, and business development. Thequestionnaire was created and operated through SurveyMonkey, which provided convenientdistribution, data collection, and analysis. The online questionnaire yielded a largerparticipation rate and more quantifiable results than could have been achieved by interviewsalone. The complete questionnaire has been made available in Appendix A.

The responses collected from the questionnaire fed into follow-‐up in-‐person interviews, whichprovided the opportunity to gain a better understanding of specific lessons learned from eachcommercial property. The interviews provided clarity of the decision process and specific step-‐by-‐step course needed for the installation of charging stations at the early adopter properties.The structure of the interview questions used in this research has been made available inAppendix B.

2.0 Findings

This report is based on case studies of 22 commercial properties, reflecting a total of 76installed public charging stations, located on Oahu. The participants represented a variety ofdifferent industries such as medical facilities, shopping centers, service locations, hotels andresorts, condominiums, business centers, and schools. As shown in Table 3 below, the casestudies were divided into three types of entities that tallied a total of 13 local businesses, sevenhotels, and two multi-‐unit dwellings (MUDs).

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Table 3. Breakdown of Research Participants

Entity State Grant Installations Non-‐Grant Installations

# of Properties # of Chargers # of Properties # of Chargers

Businesses(Retail, Service, Parking Lots) 6 15 7 17

Hotels 5 35 2 3

Multi-‐Unit Dwellings 2 6 0 0

Total: 13 56 9 20

The Hawaii State EV Ready Grant or Rebate Programs were utilized by 13 of the 22 projectparticipants, while the remaining 9 properties installed chargers independent of the Hawaii EVReady Programs. Findings indicate that the charging station adoption process was notsignificantly different between grant supported charging station installations and non-‐grantcharging station installations. The main distinction between the two processes was the overallcost of the charger purchase and installation, since the chargers installed under the grantprogram had a subsidized cost.

As of January 2012, an estimated 129 charging stations had been installed at approximately 58properties on the island of Oahu; therefore, the 76 charging stations that are represented inthis project made up 59% of Oahu’s EV chargers. As of September 2012, there are now 177installed charging stations on Oahu.

2.1 Planning

Like other facility modifications, the addition of an EV charging station needs to be well plannedbefore action can be taken. There are three initial planning steps which charging station sitehosts need to consider: education on the EV industry, researching and selecting an EV chargingcompany to work with, and deciding on appropriate charging equipment to install.

For early adopters, very little was known of EVs and charging station by individuals outside ofthe EV industry; therefore many property representatives took the initiative to educatethemselves on the equipment before committing to a charging station of their own.Researching news articles, conducting web searches, and meeting with EV specialists, chargingcompanies, and associations were some of the avenues managers used to educate themselves.After gaining an understanding of the EV industry, participating properties made the decision toinstall charging stations. When asked why properties installed charging stations, the followingwere the most popular responses:

1) Required by Hawaii State Law (73%)2) Support sustainable energy (64%)3) Consumer demand (18%)

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The selection of an EV charging company depends heavily on the specific function of theproperty or business, such as a hotel, shopping mall, or office building. Participants found thatnot all EV charging companies are alike and that research was important to find the serviceappropriate for each specific property. For example, hotels chose EV charger business modelsthat provided ease and convenience for their guests, while the majority of shopping centerswent with a brand that added aesthetics and advertising to the EV stall. Another planningaspect participants considered is that garage installations are less complicated because theyhave their own power source, while ground-‐level parking lots pull from the facility’s electricityand may require advanced metering to separate out EV charging costs. The Hawaii EV ReadyGrant Program’s financial incentives were also a major consideration for properties when

researching the costs forcharger installation.Although price discountswere an incentive forbusinesses, propertiesproactively researched toensure that the subsidizedHawaii EV Ready grantawardees, Better Place andAeroVironment, alignedwith their specific businessneeds before selectingthem.

As mentioned in Section1.1.2, there are currentlythree different levels ofcharging equipment thatproperties can consider. The240-‐volt Level II chargersare the most readilyavailable EV chargingequipment sold in Hawaii;an overwhelming 91% of properties selected Level II chargers, while the remaining 9% ofproperties went with a Level I charger to fulfill basic charging needs. Some propertiesconsidered the purchase of a DC fast charger, however, all of them felt that a Level I or Level IIcharger provided more of an incentive for EV drivers to spend time at the locations hosting thecharging stations, and would ultimately bring more business and popularity to these locations.

2.2 Permitting

According to the City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP),there is only one type of permit that is applicable for EVSE installations on a commercial

Figure 1. Chargers InstalledTotal Properties Reported: 22

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property on the island of Oahu. EVSE installations fall under Category 2 Building Permits andshould take approximately 14 calendar days to receive approval. The cost for a DPP buildingpermit starts at $18 and increases depending on the value of work being done. For the City andCounty of Honolulu, applications must be created and submitted online.8

Of the participants polled, 90% of the propertiesreceived a building permit for the installation of EVchargers. Figure 2 displays the length of time it tookfor properties to receive approval after submittinga building permit application. Over half of theproperties did not know how long it took to receivepermit approval because the charging companiestook care of permitting for them.

Some interviewees expressed the need tostreamline the commercial permit process andmany of the property, facility, and operationsmangers did not want to manage the task of

applying for a building permit and appreciated that the charging companies managed thepermitting process for them. Some interviewees suggested that the development of a permitspecific to EV charger installations would benefit Oahu properties and permitting officials toalleviate any informational processes that are not specifically associated with EV chargingstations such as civil and landscaping data.

2.3 Installation

After all planning and permitting aspects have been decided, interviewees found theinstallation of charging stations required two major considerations: construction requirementsand electrical load.

The two main construction actions that may be involved in EV charger installations are conduitpiping and trenching. Conduit piping is a system used for electrical routing that all participatingproperties performed for EV charger installations. Properties reported that the conduit run wasanywhere from 10 to 150 feet per charger. If an EV stall and charging station is located close toa power source the conduit run would consequently be shorter and thus costs can beminimized. Only three of the 22 facilities required additional trenching.

8 City & County of Honolulu, Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP). (2011). Permitting Information.Retrieved from http://www.honoluludpp.org/permitinfo/

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The electrical capacity of a site is a key element for the installation of a charging station. If afacility does not have enough electrical capacity to accommodate the chargers then an upgrademay be possible by installing an electrical transformer or additional electrical paneling. Ninetypercent of the participating properties that engaged in this study had enough electrical capacityto support the charging station. Only three properties elected to install an electricaltransformer and only two properties needed to add capacity from electrical paneling.

Beyond electrical capacity at the properties, there is also the need to consider how to trackelectrical usage. Over half of the properties studied wanted to be able to track the specificelectrical usage from the charging stations using internal meters, wireless meters, or externalsubmeters. Internal and wireless meters help to track the electrical usage coming from the EVcharger while external submeters track and store consumption (kWh) and demand (kW)information for specified timeperiods. The early adopters foundvalue in including a meter orsubmeter so that they could bettertrack and evaluate the electricitydemands needed for EV chargers.Figure 3 displays the differenttypes of metering that were used.

Very few properties had an on-‐siteelectrician; therefore the chargingcompanies or an outsideelectrician completed the majorityof installations. Unanimously,100% of participants who workedwith charging companies oroutside electricians were verypleased with the professionalismand workmanship that wasprovided.

2.4 Costs and Payment

Properties faced two major expenses when installing charging stations: capital cost andinstallation cost. The capital costs for the charging equipment and installation depended on aproperty’s choice of charging station business model and placement of the charging station.The average cost of a Level 2 EV charger ranges from $2,000 -‐ $6,500.9 For the participants ofthis project, the charging equipment (capital cost) was reported to have ranged between $500and $15,000. The installation costs per property ranged from $500 to over $20,000 dependingon the number of chargers installed and type of construction involved. The average installation

9 Plug-‐In America. (2012 May). Hawaii EV Ready Guidebook for Commercial Charging Stations.

Figure 3. Metering to Track EVSE Electrical UsageProperties Reported: 20

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cost of an EV charger on a commercial property is between $5,000 and $11,500 for a singleunit. Nearly half of the properties had budgeted for the purchase and installations of EVchargers and of those, 83% were able to stay within the allotted budget. The purpose of thisproject was to gain an understanding of the installation process; therefore budget specificationwas not a central point of research.

In October of 2012, Plug-‐In America published the “Hawaii EV Ready Guidebook for CommercialCharging Stations.” This guide listed 8 different charging station business models for site hoststo consider. 10 Of these 8 business models, the following five models were selected and used byparticipating properties:

Free, or Free with Restrictions – This model treats the charging station an amenity forproperty visitors and is ideal for short-‐term charge sessions. The property manages theelectricity cost from the charger and bundles the cost into the overall electricity bill forthe facility.Advertising Supported – These charging stations provide advertising to offset the costsof that station installation and operation. Host sites have the option to obtain revenueshare by contributing to capital and installation costs or host that charging station forfree and receive no revenue from the advertising. Retail properties were the majority ofparticipants that utilized this type of business model.Point of Sale Billing – Credit card payment, access cards, or telephone activation areavailable for EV drivers through these charging stations. Site hosts may receive thesepayments directly or from reimbursement from the service provider.Membership or Subscription Plan – EV drivers join in a monthly or annual chargingnetwork with a charging service provider. Some of these membership and subscriptionplans are still in development in Hawaii.Valet Charging – This type of business model is most common at hotel and resortlocations. For hotel and resort guests the EV charger is an amenity included in the roomfee and for the general public, a parking fee is collected and a valet attendant chargesthe vehicle and returns the vehicle to the EV driver.

Property owners have expressed that the most difficult decision in planning for an EV chargingstation is whether or not to charge EV drivers for the use of the charging station. Like any otherelectric powered amenity, electricity for charging is an operating cost to the facility. Only five(23%) of the properties polled are collecting payments from EV drivers for the use of thecharging stations through a charging network or point of sale billing. The remaining 17 (77%)properties polled are offering free charge sessions to EV drivers by treating the charging stationas a property amenity or through advertising supported business models. A few properties thatare offering free charges wanted to be able to regulate the charging stations’ time of use andchose to hold training sessions with their parking attendants and security department tofamiliarize their staff with the usage and technology of the equipment. Nevertheless,recovering electricity costs remains a concern for properties offering free charges and they

10 Plug-‐In America. (2012 May). Hawaii EV Ready Guidebook for Commercial Charging Stations.

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eventually plan to charge a fee for the use of the EV charging stations once there is a noticeableincrease in demand.

2.5 Managing the Charging Station

The research conducted showed that there was very little upkeep needed to maintain an EVcharging station; 88% of respondents stated that the overall maintenance, operation, andmanagement of the charging stations have been as expected, or easier than expected sinceinstallation. This finding may be due to the fact that the EV charging companies created arelationship with the property (their clients) and continued to stay involved with site hosts evenafter the installation of a unit. This supported the overall finding that charging companies areselling a service in addition to the charger itself. Respondents reported that EV chargingcompanies have routinely checked on the installed equipment at the property or remotely andresponded to any reported technical issues.

Site hosts across all commercial entities that were interviewed (businesses, hotels, andcondominiums) reported that the charging stations located on their properties have been useddaily, weekly, or monthly. However, most properties located in Waikiki reported that sinceinstallation the charging stations have never been used or have been used only once; this maybe due to the high amount of foot traffic in the Waikiki area. As early adopters, participants inall commercial sectors expressed their concern that the EV market is slow to develop and worrythat EV charging stations may never reach a high demand rate in Hawaii.

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Has been used once

Has never been used

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

#of

Prop

ertie

s

Figure 4. Frequency of Charging Station Use from January 2012 -‐ June 2012Total Properties Reported: 20

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2.6 Business Aspects

The decision for commercial properties to install a publically available EV charging station is aninvestment of time and brings value to businesses. On average it took businesses 10½ monthsfrom the planning stage to the completion of charger installation. However, some intervieweesnoted that the time commitment was minimal when considering the long-‐term benefits thatchargers can add to their business operations. Some of the benefits expressed by commercialproperties included:

A charging station can be incorporated into a business’s sustainability strategy and canbe used to gain a LEED Innovation Design credit. Businesses who installed EV chargersalso showed support of Hawaii’s Clean Energy Initiative to reduce its dependence onimported petroleum.A charging station can be an added amenity to the property and a service to its clientele,similar to offering an ATM machine.A charging station can help to serve as a marketing tool. An event to publicize a newlyavailable EV parking stall and charging station can bring media coverage and positivepress to a property. Half of project participants took advantage of promotionalopportunities and chose to advertise the availability of their charging stations.A charging station can communicate an organization’s community leadership andimprove. EV chargers act as a visible way for businesses to differentiate themselvesfrom competitors.A charging station installation shows compliance with Hawaii State Act 089 of installingone EV charging station for public parking accommodations with 100 stalls or more.

Properties expressed that the installation of chargers has been a positive impact on thempersonally and the business as a whole. For example, 40% of polled properties noted that theirinstallation is likely to motivate them to purchase an EV or EVSE for personal use. Of thosepolled, approximately 75% noted that they would recommend the purchase and installation ofan EV charger to other commercial properties.

3.0 Conclusion and Next Steps Gained from the Lessons Learned

3.1 Conclusion

The EV and charging station market in Hawaii is still in early development and is managingimplementation challenges like any new technology. Although there is still concern that EVs areslow to reach a high demand, early adopters are true pioneers in helping to advance the EVmarket. As early adopters, the participating properties appreciated the novelty of EV chargingtechnology, gained knowledge, and were able to realize the potential cost savings of EVcharging equipment before the industry hits mainstream. The participants’ willingness to sharetheir installation experiences demonstrates an interest in the EV market and a growing network

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of “EV Ready” commercial properties. The lessons learned from early adopters will act as anoteworthy resource for other local and national properties wanting to install EV chargers. Fora synopsis of the major lessons learned from this project please reference the report’sExecutive Summary.

3.2 Next Steps

Due to the fact that adoption of EV chargers in Hawaii is still in its early stages, the projectexperienced a few aspects of study bias. The biases documented include:

The majority of commercial properties interviewed are located in the city of Honolulu.Although there was input from the north and east parts of Oahu, the representationwas minimal.The study experienced difficulty in MUD participation. These properties face uniquechallenges to EV charger installations due to multi-‐stakeholder involvement andoperations of MUD parking facilities.Because the research project targeted early-‐adopters, the barriers faced by commercialproperties that did not install charging stations is not reflected.

This report collected data from 22 properties, which totaled 76 installed charging stations onOahu. With more time and participation the findings would be able to include properties thatare completing charging station installations in the months to come and extend the project toencompass other locations across the State of Hawaii.

The developing EV market allows for further areas of research to gain insight into EVinfrastructure opportunities and challenges. Next steps include:

Maintain relationships with early adopters to further gauge the use of publicallyavailable charging stations.Determine what market segment most uses public charging stations, how often they usethe chargers, what hours they use the chargers, and how long they are charging theirvehicles. This research will inform decision makers on how to increase charger use andmeet market demands.Research how future EV infrastructure can be developed to better meet the specificinterests and needs of Hawaii’s EV drivers and charging station site hosts.Survey properties in remote areas and destination points, workplace properties, MUDs,and commercial properties that have not installed EV chargers to identify the lessonslearned, barriers, and incentives to installing EV chargers.Understand the likelihood that changes will occur within the EV industry andcommunicate the need for adaptability as EV technologies improve.Expand data to incorporate recent DC fast charger installations.Consider financing mechanisms to help incentivize the installation of EV chargers andunderstand the costs associated with operating and maintaining charging stations.

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Acknowledgements This report was prepared by Kupu’s Rewarding Internships for Sustainable Employment (RISE) program for Honolulu Clean Cities (HCC) under the US DOE Clean Cities Community Readiness and Planning for Plug-‐In Electric Vehicles and Charging Infrastructure grant. HCC would like to give special thanks to June Chee of RISE for her instrumental dedication towards the research and development of this report. HCC would also like to thank the many individuals and organizations that made this research project and findings possible, including Maui EVA who managed the grant efforts and worked closely with HCC in the completion of this report. First and foremost, the time and efforts of participating commercial properties that not only successfully navigated the installation of chargers, but also took the time to take part in this study was paramount. Though HCC respects the confidentiality of the 22 properties that took part in the research, the time that they took to research and respond to this study’s questionnaire and interviews was vital to our findings. Additionally, the following individuals and organizations deserve gratitude for their support:

Marguerite Harden, Kupu and Rewarding Internships for Sustainable Employment (RISE), for her dedication to the success of this study and her constant guidance and support throughout the entire course of the project

Duane Komine, Hokua Condominium, for his insight on charger installations for condominiums and assistance and for marketing this project to other MUD managers

Ken Kelly, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, for his expertise and guidance with the initial design and strategy for this research project

Jeff Matsu, State of Hawai’i Department of Business, Economic Development, & Tourism, for his initial guidance on conducting research

Todd Ritter, EV Structure, for sharing his knowledge on charger installations and his continued involvement and insight in the EV industry

Volta Industries, for their willingness to provide knowledge about charger installations Department of Business, Economic Development, & Tourism’s Hawaii State Energy

Office, for providing technical advice and information pertaining directly to the preparation and editing of this report

Though seemingly obvious, this project was made possible only by the Honolulu Clean Cities Coalition itself and HCC’s board members who consistently volunteer their time and efforts to support the mission of HCC.

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Appendix A

Internet Questionnaire

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Lessons Learned from Oahu Commercial EV Charger InstallationsLessons Learned from Oahu Commercial EV Charger InstallationsLessons Learned from Oahu Commercial EV Charger InstallationsLessons Learned from Oahu Commercial EV Charger Installations

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Appendix B

Interview Questions

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lessons learned: the early adoption of electric vehicle charging

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